Untitled

Southland Times, Issue 1029, 28 September 1868, Page 2

We have been requested to re-publish the letters of Mr Pearson in full. They trill be fotind in our other columns. The Provincial Council of Southland will meet at the Council Hall this day at 12 o'clock. His Honor the Superintendent in reply to the telegram forwarded to him at Wellington, from the Chamber of Commerce, with reference to the proposed discontinuance of the Mail Service between Invercargill, Switzers, and Queenstown, says :— The Postmaster-General agrees to contiuue the service to Xingstou, with a small subsidy to the Postmaster there to forward mails to Queenstown by boat. The eastern service will not be continued beyond Gore — the mail for Switzer's will have to go by Tokomoiriro." This was not deemed satisfactory, and the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce (F. H. Moore, Esq.) has telegraphed to that effect. We doubt not that on receipt of the petition of the residents of Invercargill, which was forwarded to the Colonial Secretary on the 17th instant, that the question will be reconsidered and the existing arrangements continued. We understand that for some time past, parties have been in the habit of taking gravel from near the jetty, to an extent that renders the embankment dangerous. As this is contrary to law, and the attention of the authorities has been drawn to the parties that have done so, the practice should be discontinued. Mr Commissioner Weldon, who has recently returned from a visit to Stewart's Island, informs us that; three parties of miners are prospecting in different parts of the island. Buckley's party, who have been working for two or three months at Smoky CW, returned to Invercargill, obtained four months' provisions, and left again in a boat saying they should not turn up again before Christmas. It is generally believed on the Island that they have struck something good. Latham's party consists of three men who formed a portion of a company who a short time since discovered gold near JRuggety. Beach, and obtained 20oz. of the precious metal. They also discovered quartz reefs in the vicinity. It is now their intention, under the auspices of ;the Provincial Government, to test this ground. They' have three months supplies, and appear confident of* success. The third party consists of two West Coast miners, who landed at Port William on the 23rd inst. with the intention of prospecting in that district.

Extraordinary things are sometimes to be found in Police Gazettes, bat one of the most remarkable that has latterly come under our notice is published in the Canterbury * Police Gazette,' Ist August. In Ohristohurch, a oitry supposed to haTe a large constabulary force, we learn that freaks of misohief of no ordinary oharacter have been oarried on without the perpetrators having been diaoovered. It says: — Some time during the night of the 7th ultimo, the windows of the Provincial Council Chamber, the windows of the Ohristohurch City Council Chamber, the windows in Matson's Buildings, and the windows in, the Union Bank, all situate within the city of Christchurch, was broken by stones having been thrown through them by some persona or persons unknown. t ', . . A. man named Charles Dixon was brought up at the Resident Magistrates' Court, on Saturday last, charged with having violently assaulted his wife, Alice Dixon, on Friday evening. The poor woman was so severely illused that Dr Gtrigor, upon being called in, deemed it necessary to send her to the hospital. At the request of the Commissioner of Police, Dixon was remanded till Monday (this day).. We hear that the poor woman is suffering severe pain, and it is questionable whether some internal injury of a serious character may not have been received. One of the lunatics confined in the Southland Asylum escaped on the 20th instant. The name of the lunatic is Neil M'Kenzie. Information having been given to the police, Constable Touhy, accompanied by Mr Beatre, started in pursuit,' and arrested the runaway in the Makerawa Bush. It would appear that the lunatic had gone to his brother's house, who, on seeing him, went to a neighbor, but on his return Neil M'Kenzie had left, taking with him blankets, flannel shirts, and other articles of use. Upon being arrested he at first offered resistance, but on recognising the constable, he went quietly back to his old quarters. This is the second case of the escape of lunatics from the asylum in the course of a few weeks. It is soarcely to be wondered at, for it is almost impossible for one man to watch night and day. Cannot some better arrangement be made. A Queensland journal of recent date Btates : — In pastoral pursuits everything Is thriving as well as could be desired. Grass and water are abundant, and cattle and sheep are in prime condition , lambing has commenced on some stations, and the per centage of increase so far has averaged over ninety. A curious testimony to the value of the sparrow j is furnished by an American paper — c The Cultivator and Country Gentleman ' — which states that In New York city, where these birds have established themselves, the streets, which were almost impassable to pedestrians on account of the inch-worm depending from the trees, are now entirely clear of these pests. The Melbourne correspondent of the ' Geelong Advertiser' relates that a lucky digger, named Charles Barr, lately returned from the New Zealand gold-fields, was the victim of a couple of sharpers, a few days ago, and was victimised by them to tho extent of £200. . The * Hawkea Bay Times ' informs us that a Hauhau prisoner, captured in the recent engagement at Ruaki Ture, was brought to Napier by the Waipara on the 18th ult. This, we learn, makes the fourth time that the same tattooed rascal has fallen a prisoner into our hands. He looked particularly jolly as he was marched off to gaol yesterday afternoon. A new rush is reported to have taken place near Brighton, on the West Coast. Some of the claims are said to be yielding £40 per man per week. Rumors of disaffection among the' natives in Wairarapa, says the ' New Zealand Advertiser ' of the 18th inst., have been circulated, but little importance is attached to them. The Government, however, always on the alert to allay- excitement, have despatched an officer of the Native Department to ascertain the real facts. The Auckland gold discoveries are calling forth the enterprise of our Northern neighbors. We learn from the Auckland papers that an application has been made by Messrs Cusack and Beere for a privilege to construct a tramway, for public purposes, between Shonland and the Tararu Ri/er, a distance of five miles, the tramway to be twelve feet in width. An application has likewise been made, and permission granted, for the formation of a tramway from the beach at Shortland, along Grey and Pollen-streets, to the junction of Coromandel-street, Waiotahi, a distance of one mile and a-half. The * Sydney Morning Herald,' in reporting the discovery of cinnabar or bisulphuret of mercury, in the vicinity of Rylstone, New South Wales, says : — "A sample had found its way to Sydney about a month or so back, and upon being placed iv the hands of a chemist, that gentleman, after applying tli6 usual tests, declared it to be' cinnabar, or bisulphuret of mercury. Upon this being ascertained, a party of men was sent up to the spot where the alluvial deposits had been found, with instructions to search for the vein whence these red particles had come. After a time the search was successful, and the lode of the metal was found. At the present time, nothing has been done beyond opening the lode, where it shows about fourteen inches thick, the cinnabar mixed with quartz debris, lying between bauds of recently deposited and easily soluble pipeclay of a yellow color. No drive has yet been put in to ascertain the full size of the lode. Assays of the ore have been made, and it has been found to give 85 per cent, of quicksilver." The ' Wanganui Chronicle ' is responsible for the subjoined : — ' The people of Patea are cnuch incensed at a most unwarrantable stretch of power on the part of Colonel M'Donnell. Mr Bailie, a settler at Patea, for some offence — writing to the newspapers, we believe—incurred the displeasure of the Colonel, who sent for him to come to the block-house. As Mr Bailie had procured a. substitute, who was then acting for him, he refused. A guard was sent for him, and without even a court-martial, he was sentenced to seven days' imprisonment. His hair was cut . quite close, and other indignities indicted upon j.hun ; he was liberate 1, after.being in prison a day and a night. Mr Bailie had never been sworn in, and considered that as he had procured a substitute he had no right to serv-. Mr Bailie is most respectably connected, ay, 1 his friends are going to commence an actio:. against Colonel M'Donnjell in the Supreme C\.mt.' We learn from the ' Lake Wakatip Mail ' that Messrs Robertson and Co. contemplate erecting a woollen manufactory in Queenstown.

The new atone bridge over the Water of Leith, Dunedin, was formally declared open for traffic, by His Honor the Superintendent of Otago, on Tuesday, the 22ud September. The ' Newcastle Chronicle' publishes a private letter from California, in whioh it states that the general opinion was that the wheat oropjn California this year would exoeed 20,000,000 bushels, and that breadstuff's would in consequence rule at a very low figure. It is not often we hear of a British Boldier deserting his flag, and going over to the enemy, yet such has been tha case in New Zealand. The • Westport Star,' says :— " During one of the late engagements with the Natives, a European, a young man < who had been punished for some offence, deserted to the enemy, and it was discovered that another man, Eimbal Bent, who, fire I or six years ago, deserted from H.M. 52th Regt. , is still living amongst the Hau Haus of the Ngatdruanui tribe. This is the man who, it is said, shot Lieutenant-Col. Hassard on the 12th January, 1866, during the attack upon Otapawa by the force under the command of Major General Chute. From that time to the present this Eimbal Bent appears to be assisting the Hauhaus in almost every encounter which our men. have had with them in the Patea district. He was present at Te Ngntu-o-te-Manu when attacked by our men on the 21st ultimo, and left behind him a book in which he had written, in very bad English, a few memoranda, and several sentences expressive of regret for the past and apprehension for the future. He appears to be more afraid of being taken alive than of being killed in battle." He has since been shot. The Natives at Te Ngutu o te Manu are said to have received considerable reinforcements from the Xaupo country and even from the Waikato. According to the Waneanui Chronicle, they mean to make the West Coast the scene of a regular trial of strength between the Maori and the Pakeha. " A meeting of the subscribers to the Southland Hospital was held in the Council Hall, on Friday, the 25th September. Thomas Watson Esq., was voted to the Chair The Chairman stated the object of the meeting to be the election of three gentlemen as members of the committee, also a ' President of the Society. The latter vacancy had arisen from the gentlemen who formerly held office haying resigned upon his leaving the province; The mode of election was clearly defined in the Act j there would be no nomination, but each subscriber would have a ballot paper, upon which he should put down the names of any gentleman he wished to elect, provided that such gentlemen were also subscribers. The Treasurer, (Mr J. Macpherson,) said that although the meeting had been called for a spacific purpose, it might not be out of place to give a short statement of the financial condition of the institution. He would with the permission of the Chairman read it: — Statement of Receipts and Expenditure of the Invercargill Hospital, from 6th January, 1868, to 31st August, 1868. BEOEtPTS.-rJan. 6—To Balance in s hand, £38 18s 9d; Aug. 19— To Amount of fundsreceived and advertised to date, £643 10s 6d ; Aug. 19— To , amount since received,. £27 2s 6d ; total, £709 11s 9d. ExßßNDrroßß.— Aug. 23 —By amount of expenditure as per tabulated statement, £591 17s 4d; leaving a balance in hand of £114 14s 5d j and an amount due by Provincial Government, £33 6s Bd ,- total, £148 Is Id. Against amounts payable this month not yet ascertained. ; Of the above amount £670 13s; the Provincial Government has paid for 8 months, subsidy, viz.. December 1867, to July 1868, at £400 ; £266 13s 4 j leaving, the Public Subcription as £403 19s Bd. Jno. M'Phbesoit, Treasurer to the Hospital Committee. The election of three members of the committee weie then balloted for, Mr T. Perkias and Mr G. Reese acting as scrutineers. The Chairman announced that Messrs Matheson and Calder were elected, but Messrs Colyer and Gellatly were equal, and a fresh ballot for the third member would have to be taken. The election resulted in favor of Mr Colyer. A ballot was then taken for President, and Mr John Hare declared to be elected. The Chairman said, before the meeting dispersed,. he would desire to remark that he did not consider that the statement read by the Treasurer as satisfactory as it might appear to many, although the balance in hand miadit seem good, it must be kept in mind that several months of the year had yet to pass,, and renewed offorts should be made to increase the funds. He must say he did not think the Government was doing enough for this institutioh. In Victoria the Government gave two pounds to every one subscribed by the public, here it waß the reverse, as could be seen from the; statement, being little more- than -one for every_two sub--scribed — he certainly thought the Provincial Government should be more liberal A vote of thanks to the Chairman terminated the business of the meeting; ' ~ '